Alphecca

VPC Tries Different Tack on Guns

Having failed to demonstrate that gun ownership by the law-abiding leads to more crime, the Violence Policy Center is now focusing on teen suicide as a reason to disarm American citizens. From the Laramie Boomerang (WY):

Wyoming has one of the highest youth gun suicide rates in the nation, but questions persist about what that means and how to fix the problem.

The Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., released a study that looked at data from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s database from the years 2000 through 2002 to determine gun suicide numbers for children and teens 16 and younger. The raw numbers were then broken out into rates per 100,000 youths in the age range for each state.

Wyoming had five youth gun suicides during that span, but because of the state’s small population base, that meant a rate per 100,000 youths of 1.43. While the aggregate number is not overwhelming, the worst 10 states listed in the center’s study were all western states that they characterized as having “extremely weak” gun laws.

“Wyoming’s gun laws do not really add much to the federal laws,” said Kristen Rand, the legislative director for the center. “Wyoming does not add a background check for hand guns or long guns, and they have no licensing or additional restrictions, including child access prevention.”

In Rand’s view, it is not a coincidence that the 10 states with the highest rates (Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado) all have lax gun laws, while the jurisdictions with the best rates (Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, and Connecticut) all have stringent gun rules.

“This is a very strong indicator that gun laws keep guns, particularly handguns, out of the home and prevent suicide,” said Rand. “These laws are important because youth suicide virtually always involves handguns in the home.”

[...]

Permits, controls over what types of guns may be purchased, and guns locked away in a safe place in the home are changes to the laws in Western states Rand would like to see enacted.

I'm not a psychiatrist (but I play one on TV) but I think most would agree that part of the high rates are attributable to long winters and more "darkness", sometimes called light-deficiency-disorder or some such thing. These areas also tend to be more sparsely populated resulting in less socializing by teens with others of their own age. Alcoholism and drug use tend to be higher in these areas as well.

A quick search of the internet will also bring up studies (legit or not) that there are also high rates of suicide among gay teenagers, and -- really -- listening to country music. Perhaps parents should be required to lock-up their Garth Brooks CDs.

If someone wants to kill themselves, they will find a way. It's for that reason that, unlike the VPC, most mental health workers focus on the "why?" of teen suicide instead of the "how?" Ask almost any experienced coroner or cop, they will tell you that many head-on crashes into highway overpass abutments aren't accidents.

The VPC's Rand also says that these states don't have enough regulation of the types of guns people can own. If a child is going to kill themselves, does it really matter WHAT type of firearm they use? Again, that's a nonsense argument. It goes without saying that requiring a parent to have a "permit" for a gun makes no difference to the situation, either.

In fact, the sole kernal of truth in their screed is that parents should be keeping their firearms in a safe manner. I've always said that myself; that unsupervised guns left lying around a house with children is an invitation. Considering the low levels of actual gun suicide within the teen age group, education is far better than having a law mandating it.

The example that the VPC uses, Wyoming, is also ridiculous because anytime you are using such micro-statistics, any tiny blip in them seems huge. I remember that one year Vermont's gun murders rose from 4 to 6 people. It is impossible to draw any sort of conclusion from that sample but the Brady Bunch did, in their own "yearly report" by breathlessly exclaiming that Vermont had a skyrocketing gun problem. Statistically I suppose they were right but the reality is that in a state with few people, one incident can seem dramatic. In the town I live in, there hasn't been a car stolen in about 15 years. If a kid suddenly decided to steal one this year, that would be a 100% increase! Or something like that. Mostly, it would be meaningless.

The Violence Policy Center will stop at nothing until all guns are banned. Now, they're trying to use the emotionally unstable teenage years as the reason to accomplish this. In my opinion, they are using false and misleading data and arguments. That's generally been their modus operandi all along.

Update: Several folks have questioned me (in comments, emails, and posts) as to why I didn't bring up the high suicide rate in Japan, where private gun ownership is prohibited. I did consider it but the answer is... Simple: Suicide in Japan is a cultural anomaly. That is, especially among the older generations, it is considered an honerable thing to do. So, I don't really consider it a valid example of what the VPC, or I, am referring to and I do believe in "fair play" in the debate over gun control. That's what sets me apart from the VPC!